My April Birchbox

’ll be honest. I was so impatient when it came to waiting for this month’s Birchbox to arrive (my roommate can attest to this). I kept checking to see if anything had arrived in the mail because I was so curious to see what this month had in store. What made April’s Birchbox really exciting was that it was a collaboration between Birchbox and Women’s Health Magazine. Together, they rounded up their favorite products to promote their philosophy “Tiny Tweaks, Big Results” Here’s what was inside:

Yes To Carrots Lip ButterI have wanted to try Yes To Carrots products for quite some time so I was extremely excited to see, not only, a lip balm, but a full size mint lip balm! The mint smells fantastic and has a really nice cooling effect. In terms of the actual balm, it reminded me a lot of the lip treatment from Sugar. Prior to trying this lip butter, I’ve been using Maybelline’s Baby Lips which I’ve been pretty happy with. However, I think that this lip balm has a better mint flavor and a thicker consistency. I can definitely see myself repurchasing this product and trying other flavors out as well.

Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle
Carissa Confession Time: I abuse my hair.
There. Done. I’ve said it.
I am a lover of blow dryers and curling irons and am constantly applying heat to my hair. The thing is that I have never actually invested in any sort of heat protector spray before. It’s not that I don’t care about my hair, it’s just that I’ve always worried that heat protector would weigh it down. But being that I got the cutest heat protector spray bottle in my box, I couldn’t not try it out! First off, I really like the way that the spray smelled. For some reason it reminded me of an old school Bath and Body Works product that I can’t put my finger on, but in a good way! The spray didn’t weigh down my hair at all and, in fact, made it shinier and a lot smoother.

Caudalie SOS Morning Eye Rescue
Being a college student, I have to admit that sometimes I’m not the most responsible when it comes to getting enough sleep. Any lack of sleep can always be seen in how tired my eyes look the next day. I didn’t really know what this product was supposed to do, but a morning eye rescue sounded really nice. My eyes looked brighter, less puffier, and much more awake!

Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair CC Cream
A couple of months ago, I wrote about how BB creams have become really trendy. You hear about them everywhere. However, never have I ever heard of a CC cream before. Basically, after doing some research, I found out that CC creams are similar to BB creams in that they both have multiple functions packed into one product. However, BB creams are used more for coverage while CC creams are used for more corrective purposes. (Hence, CC for Color Correcting)
I can definitely see the appeal in CC creams, but I wouldn’t buy this for myself. I thought it had a very medicinal scent and didn’t like that at all. I also prefer more coverage and didn’t like that it was a bit sheer. Overall, I think it’s a good product, but just not for me.

Yes To Grapefruit Daily Facial Scrub & Dark Spot Correcting Serum
This tiny duo sample was my beauty extra for the month. I was really excited to try the Daily Facial Scrub because I used St. Ive’s facial scrubs for the longest of time. I currently own St. Ive’s Green Tea Facial Scrub which I hate. (it’s too thin to be a scrub and too grainy to be a normal face wash.) The consistency does not feel nice at all. In comparison, I think that the Yes To Grapefruit facial scrub is thin as well, but I think I actually liked it. My face felt really nice and smooth right after. In terms of the serum, I don’t think I saw a huge difference on my skin. But then again, I don’t have many dark spots to begin with. Overall, I was really pleased with both products and would definitely consider buying the facial scrub.

Bonus Stuff!In addition to all the wonderful samples, this month’s box also included a free one year subscription to Women’s Health Magazine as well! This month’s box is definitely my current favorite! There were so many good samples from so many great companies! It was definitely a nice way to celebrate the arrival of spring.The product that I am most inclined to buy: Yes To Carrots Lip Butter (this was really hard)

Hello

My name is Carissa

When I'm not dreaming about food or scribbling in notebooks, I'm coordinating events in DC and figuring out newly married life. As I explore new cities, take on projects, and try to learn as much as I can, I consider this a space to share all the gifts of grace that I find along the way. Hope you find something too!